Filled carton closing and sealing machine



1927. w. D. KIMBALL ET AL FILLED CARTON CLOSING AND SEALING MACHINE Feb. 22

3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 19, 1923 1,618,440 1927 w. D. KIMBALL ET AL FILLED CARTON ACLOSING AND SEALING mcmmi Filed Oct. 19. 192:5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 1927;

w. D. KIMBALL ET AL FILLED CARTON CLOSING AND SEALING MACH 1N5 Filed Oct. 19 1923 25 SheetsSheet 5 g t pent Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE D. KIMBALL AND ARTHUR E. RIDE-OUT, OF NEW YORK, N; Y., ASQIGNORS 'I'O STANDARD BEALIN G EQUIPMENT. CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, '11. Y-, A COB- PORATION OF NEW YORK. C

FILLED CARTON CLOSING AND SEALING MACHINE- Applioation filed October 19, 1928 Serial No. 860,458.

the like, the cartons in which the commodity i is shipped are commonly filled before the flaps at either the top or bottom are closed. The carton is filled and then set aside until such time as it may be sealed. In the sealing process silicate is manually applied to the carton flaps and a pressure subsequently exerted on the fla s by any suitable meansv for a eriod su ciently long to insure thoroug setting of the cement.

It is a principal object of the present 1nvention to provide apparatus of this type for automatically applying silicate to the flaps of filled cartons and closing the flaps, which apparatus employed in conjunction with the sealing machine for filed cartons, constituting the subject matter of our co-pending application Serial, No. 393,362,

provides means 'for applying the silicate, closing the flaps, and holding themunder' pressure until the silicate has set, no further attention than merely placing the cart'on to be sealed on a receiving table atthe entrance to the sealing machine being required.

A further object of the invention is to provide ap aratus for silicating and closing the top and bpttom flaps of filled cartons simultaneously, in a quick and convenient manner. q i a It is also an object of the invention to rovide an apparatus of the above type in w ich the operating parts are of simple rugged construction and low cost. thus rendering the apparatus commercially practical.

It is a further object to provide in an apparatus of this character improved means for applying silicate to the flaps, which means operates indefinite relation with the movement of the carton throu h the apparatus.

It is a still further object to provide an apparatus of this type constructed 'as a portable unit and conveniently adaptable to cartons of difl'erentdimensions.

WVe have illustrated a preferred embodiment of our invention in the accom anying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side e evation of a carton sealing machine in accordance with our invention; Fig. '2 is a transverse vertical section taken centrally of the ep- P trating the passage paratus; 3 :is a plan view of the ap- Flg. 4 ma perspective view illuso cartons through the machme5'and Fi 5 is a detail view showmg our improve silicate-applying roller.

Referring to the drawin s, theapparatus comprises a horizontal tab e 1 carried by a frame having legs 3 which serve to support the entire structure. These legs may convemently be provided with rollers if desired,

and when so equipped the entire apparatus is embodied in; a, ortable unit which may easfiy be moved a out "for use in conjunction with other apparatus. The machine is hereshown operating in conjunction with a pressure app ying device5 of the type disclosed in our co-pending application, Serial No. 396,362, the two machines being placed end to end and the cartons passing continuousl through both and issuing therefrom rea y for shipment. At the entrance end of the apparatus we referably provide a roller table 4 upon whic the filled cartons may be placed preparatory to sealing for facilitating their introduction into the machine. .The carton supporting rollers and surfaces of the various parts of the a stood to be at the same eight.

. The carton supporting means comprises rollers 6 at one end of the apparatus for facilitating the introduction of the cartons, a second set of rollers 10 at the opposite end of the apparatus for facilitatin the 'discharge 0 the sealed cartons, emf specially shaped metal sheets 7, 8 and 9, shown more particularly in Fig. 2, ositione'd intermediate the two sets of re era. The rollers paratus are undermay be su ported by any suitable means, be-

inghere s oivn as mounted for rotatio in the horizontal frame members 1. j e specially sha ed metal plates are preferably provided wit brackets 11 for securing them :edge'which is adjacent the rollers 10 being straight and parallel to the axis of the rollers. The width of the plates 7 and 9 is preferably tons bein sealed. Plate 8 is centrally located an comprises a body portion somewhat wider than plates 7 and 9 at the center but which is cut away at each end to form tents of'the carton and also to the stiffness of the material composing the flaps. At the same time the wei ht of the carton and the contents resses own the resihent prongs 13 a slig t amount and, as the forward movement of the carton continues the tongue 14 is inserted between the loose flaps of the carton. The effect of the smooth curved edges on the plate 8 as the-carton moves forward is to gradually unfold the flaps, and when the carton reaches the center of the plate the flagshave been unfolded through approximat y 180 and lie extending horizontally out at the sides of the carton, in which position they may be readily glued. As the carton moves on, the reverse of this unfolding process occurs. That is, the flaps drop into an approximately vertical pos1tion as the carton moves out towards the end of the tongue '14, are engaged between the prongs of the plate 9 and .are folded up, premmg the newly silicated portions against the inner flaps.

The silicate is applied to the flaps by rollers 15, one on each side of the carton, arranged to draw their supply of silicate from the tanks 16 and having t eir active surfaces flush with the surfaces of the plates 8. The

lates 8 are cut away beyond the rollers 15, est shown in Fig. 4, thus providing for the silicating of the entire width of the flap and preventing any contact with the sillcated surfaces which would .tend to remove a portion of the silicate or smear it about. Rollers 17 are provided to cooperate with the rollers 15, the .carton flaps being run between the two sets of rollers for securing a uniform pressure during the application of the silicate.

A second series of plates 7 8 and 9 are mounted in the upper art of the frame for sealing the top flaps, t ese plates being vertically adjustable to accommodate various sized cartons. The plate 8 serves to open the flaps and fold them out horizontally and the silicate is applied by .means of rollers 15. The silicating mechanism for the upper flaps consists of a series of rollers arranged as about equal to that of the car shown in the manner of ordinary inking rollers and deriving their supply from the tank 16- supported in the upper part of the frame out of the way of the assing carton. The rollers are preferably sli ably mounted in the frame or otherwise arranged for vertical adjustment to accommodate cartons of various heights. Thus the carton is moved continuously through the machine and the sealing operations are erformed simultaneously upon the top and bottom flaps.

The means for conveying the carton through the machine comprims endless chains 24, one on each side of the machine, running over sprocket wheels 25 and interconnected at equally spaced intervals along their lengths by means of horizontal bars 26 set out some distance from the chains by means of arms 27. The chains may be driven by an electric motor or other convenient means, not shown. When the carton is placed on the rollers 6 it remains there until engaged by the rod 26, whereu on it is moved at a uniform rate throng the machine.

Fig. 5 shows our improved silicate applying roller. The roller is provided with a cutaway portion in the diretion of its length, as shown at 28. For a iven length of carton flap a roller is emp oyed whose circumference from'one edge of the roove 28 around the roller to the other e go is 'ust equal to the length of the flap. Thus,

y starting the roller in the proper position relative to the carton, the flap is completely glued after all of the outer peri hery of the roller has contacted with it. his feature secures a quick cut oil of the silicate supply and avoids smearin The groove also assists in lifting the silicate out of the tank.

In order that our improved silicating roller may be successfully applied it is necessary that the carton and roller move synchronously, and that the carton flap come directly opposite the roller at the same time at which thesilicate applying surface of the roller has turned into contacting position. Furthermore, the time required for one revolution of the roller must be equal to the time required by the conveying chains to travel a distance e ual to that between successive horizontal ars 26. A. synchronous relation is obtained by drivin the silicate applying rollers by means of c ains 29 and 30, respectively, connected to the same power source that supplies the sprocket wheels 25. Such a chain furnishes positive engagement, and once the proper setting of the rollers is obtained relative to the carton con veying chain no further attention is require From the above description the operation of the machine will be apparent. A carton is first filled, lifted upor the roller table 4,

and pushed into the machine during the intcrva elapsing between the passage of shecessive horizontal bars 26. It fisto be noted that the roller table 31 is spaced away from the main body ofthe machine a sufiicient distance to allow the rods 26 to pass freely. The carton rests upon the rollers 6 until it is engaged by one of the rods 26 and is then conteyed through the machine, its flaps being opened,-'sihcated, ,and'closed in successive operations as has been described. The

successive operations are performed upon the top, an bottom flaps simultaneously. At the end of the machine the carton discharged into the pressure'applying defice 5, as shown.

Our improved carton sealing machine is preferably used in combination with a roller table for facilitating the introduction of the filled cartonsand in conjunction with our 'gressure a plyin device, as is shown at 5,

ut may e em oyed alone or merely in combination with the roller .table, which my or may not be built integrally with the se ing machine.- Used individually as a unit it accomplishes the sealing and closing of the cartons, after which it is necessary to subject the discharged cartons to pressure fora length of time suliicient to allow the silicate to set. 4 y

The apparatus requires little floor space, since it is relatively long and narrow and may consequently be placed in otherwise unused space. This machine is particularly useful in factori where spare room is at a premium and ca age of the sealed cartons is undesirable. The entrance end of the apparatus may be placed at the point where the cartons are packed and the machine 0- sitioned to extend in the direction in which it is desired to move the sealed cartons, the

dischar e end being located at the point where t e cartons are loaded for transportation. 1 3

In the appended claims, which define the scope of'the invention, the word silicate is to be construed as meaning any preparation desired to be appliedto flaps in the manner described, and the word carton is understood to designate any box, container, or the like, havin flaps or/dges to which a preparation is to he ap lied.

Various changes .an modifications may be made within the full scope ofthe appended claims.

We claim:

l. A machine for sealing comprising means. for receiving a carton resting on its bottom flaps with its'bottom flaps closed but unsealed, means for simultaneously opening the-outside bottom flaps from .closed position to aiposition to expose the inner surfaces of sai flaps, means engaging the inner bottom flapsfor supportmg the carton during such'operation, means filled cartons for gumming said surfaces, and means for thereafter closing said glfmmed flaps against the inner bottom flaps to thereby seal the bottom of the carton.

2. machine for sealing filled cartons comprlsni means for receiving a carton rests mg on its ottom flaps with its bottom flaps closed but unsealed, means for simultaneously open ng the outsidebottom flaps from closed position to a position to expose the inner surfaces of said flaps, means engaging the inner bottom flaps for supporting the carton during such operation, means for gummmg said surfaces, means for thereafter closing said gum'rned flaps a ainst the inner bottom flaps to thereby sea the bottom of the carton, and means for simultaneously performin the same operations up-' on the outer top tips.

8. machine for sealing filled cartons comprising means for receiving a carton resting on its bottom flaps with its bottom flaps closed but unsealed, means for ad yancmg the carton off of said carton-receivmg means, av support in advance of saidcarton-receiving means and s aced there; from by a distance less than t e length of the carton, said support being adapted to engage 'the inner bottom flaps to sup art the carton and its contentsand lea've th outer bottom flaps free and having means for opening said flaps outwardly into substantially horizontal position, means for applying adhesive to said open flaps, and means for thereafter folding said fla s against the inner bottom flaps to there y sgal'the bottom of the carton. l

4. A machine forsealing filled cartons comprising means for r iving a carton resting on its bottom flaps with its bottom flaps closedbut unsealed, means for advanc- I ing the carton off of said carton-receiving means, a support in advance'of said cartonreceiv ng means ands aced therefrom by a distance less than the eng'th of the carton, said support being adapted to engage the inner bottom flaps to support the carton and its contents and leave the both outer bottom flaps free and having means for opening said flaps outwardly into substantially horizontal position, meansfor applying a hesive v to said open flaps,'means for thereafter folding said flaps against the inner bottom flaps to thereby seal the bottom of the carton, and means for sealing the top flaps of said carton.- a 1 5* A machine for sealing fille i cartons comprising .a support for a filled carton resting on its bottom fla s with its botton'r flaps closed but unseale ,'a tongue in ad- -canoe of the said support but spaced away from said support to thereby leave a space between said tongue and said support extending the full width of said cartons, said tongue adapted to enter between the closed 130 outer fla s and the inner flaps of the carton before t e carton is advanced ott' oi said support to thereby support the carton and its contents while leaving both outer flaps free, means associated with said tongue for opening said outer flaps into a-position to expose their inner surfaces, means for applying adhesive to said surfaces and thereafter closing said flaps against the inner bottom flaps to thereby seal the bottom of the carton.

6. A machine for sealing filled cartons comprising a support for a filled carton resting on its bottom flaps with its bottom flaps closed but unsealed. a tongue in advance of the said support but spaced away from said support to thereby leave a space between said tongue and said support extending the full width of said cartons, said tongue adapted to enter between the closed outer fia s and the inner flaps of the carton before t e carton is advanced off of said support to thereby support the carton and its contents while leaving both outer flaps free, means associated with said tongue for opening said outer flaps into a position to expose their inner surfaces, means for applying adhesive to said surfaces and therefore closing said flaps against the inner bottom flaps to thereby seal the bottom of the carton, said last-named means comprising a second tongue projecting in the opposite direction from the first-mentioned tongue, and a third support for said carton spaced from said second-mentioned tongue, and having folders associated therewith to engage said outer bottom flaps and fold them against the inner bottom flaps as the carton passes from said tongue to said support.

7. A machine for sealing filled caitons comprising a support for a filled'carton resting on its bottom flaps with its bottom flaps closed but unsealed, a tongue in advance of the said support but spaced away from said support to thereby leave a space between said tongue and said support extend 'ng the full width of said cartons, said torrg iie adapted to enter between the closed outer flaps and the inner flaps of the carton before the car- 'ton is advanced 01! of said support to thereby support the carton and its contents while leaving both outer flaps free, means associated with said tongue for opening said outer flaps into 'a position to expose their inner surfaces, means for appl ing adhesive to said surfaces and therea ter closing said flaps against the inner bottom flaps to thereby seal the bottom of the carton, said last-named means comprising a second tongue projecting in the opposite direction from the first-mentioned tongue, a third sup"- port for said carton spaced from said second-mentioned tongue, and comprising folders to engage said outer bottom fla s and fold them against the inner bottom aps as the carton passes from said tongue to said support, and means for simultaneously performing the corresponding operations on the top flaps of said carton.

8. A machine for sealing filled cartons comprising a machine bed. a carton support adjacent said machine bed but spaced therefrom, a conveyor for advancing the cartons through said machine, said conveyor comprising carton-engaging members contacting with said cartons above the plane of said machine bed, said carton-conveying members adapted to pass through the space between the said carton support and said machine bed, said machine bed being cut away throughout the entire width of said machine at a point in advance of the carton-receiving portion thereof, means in advance of said cut away portion for engaging the inner bottom flaps to support the carton and its contents and for simultaneously opening said outer bottom flaps from closed osition and applying adhesive thereto, an means for closing said flaps against the inner bottom flaps comprising a carton-supporting member spaced from said inner flap-engaging support, said last-mentioned support having folders adapted to fold said flaps during the passage of the carton onto said last-mentioned support.

9. A machine for sealing filled cartons,

vcomprising means for receiving a carton resting upon its closed unsealed bottom flaps, means for conveying cartons through the apparatus, a stationary plate above the carton and a similar plate below said carton for holding the carton flaps in closed position, said plates being recessed at their forward edges to relieve the forward edges bf the carton flaps from closing pressure as said carton moves through the apparatus, a second set of plates positioned in advance of said first mentioned plates and having tongues adapted to engage thecarton flaps and open them to a horizontal position, means for applying silicate to said flaps, and a third pair of plates adapted to engage the top and bottom fla s, respectively, and cause them to be close 10. In a machine for sealing filled cartons, three plates positioned in the same plane and distributed along the len th of the apparatus, the two end plates being recessed at their inner ends and the third plate haying a air of tongues extending centrally into said respective recesses, whereby cartons entering the apparatus with bottom flaps folded but unsealed have said flaps opened and closed in combination with means for applying adhesive to said flaps while open.

11. In a machine for sealing filled cartons, three pairs of plates positioned in parallel lanes for engaging the top and bottom aps, respectively, of the carton, means for advancing cartons with the top and bottom flaps closed but unsealed between said pairs and bottom outer flaps of said cartons will of plates, the first pair of plates being rebe simultaneously opened and closed, and I0 cessed at their inner ends, the intermediate means for applying adhesive to said flaps plates having tongues extending centrally while in open positlon.

toward said recesses and similar tongues ex- In testimony whereof We afiix our signatending in the opposite direction, the third tures. pair ct plates having recesses facing said WALLACE D. KIMBALL.

second-mentioned tongues whereby the top ARTHUR E. RIDEOUT.

flaps closed but unsealed between said pairs and bottom outer flaps of said cartons will of plates, the first pair of plates being rebe simultaneously opened and closed, and 0 cessed at their inner ends, the intermediate means for applying adhesive to said flaps plates having tongues extending centrally while in open position.

toward said recesses and similar tongues ex- In testimony whereof we afiix our signai'ending in the opposite direction, the third tures.

pair of plates having recesses facing said WALLACE D. KIMBALL. second-mentioned tongues whereby the top ARTHUR E. RIDEOUT.

Certificate of Correction.

Patent No. 1,618,440. Granted February 22, 1927, to WALLACE D: KIMBALL ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the abovenumbered gmtent requiring correction as follows: Page 4, line 28, for the word therefore read thereafter; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed 'and sealed this 29th day of March, A. D. 1927.

[sun] M. J. MOORE,

Acting C'ommw'ss'ioner of Patents.

Certificate of (inflection.

Patent No. 1,619,440. V Granted F bruary 122 M27, io WALLACE D. KIMBALL ET AL It is hereby eert'ified that error appears in the printed specification of the abovenumbered patenL requiring correction as follows: Page 4, line 28, for the word therefore read thereafter; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thlS COXIQCtlOD therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

SIgned and sealed this 29th day of March, A. D. 1927.

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

Acting C'onmm'ssioner of Patents. 

